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United States extends sanctions for Iran under nuclear deal

Alma Romero |Saturday, September 16, 2017

Trump extends sanction waivers for Iran while imposing new ones

In late August, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is monitoring Iran's nuclear commitments, to seek access to the nation's military facilities to inspect whether it conceals any activities banned by the 2015 agreement.

The penalties are created to put pressure on Iran as they continue to deny violating the nuclear deal.

Trump is due to decide before October 15 whether Iran has breached the 2015 nuclear agreement, and critics fear he may abandon an accord they think prevents Tehran from building a nuclear bomb. However, the watchdog's director-general confirmed Iran's compliance with the pact.

The secretary went on to accuse the administration of US President Donald Trump of "unconstructive and excuse-seeking behavior... which is an active attempt to damage this global agreement".

The remarks made by the Iranian officials followed Trump blaming Iran for not fulfilling the deal's "spirit".

In a letter dated August 19 but released on August 23, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned about USA lack of adherence to the nuclear deal. "We must take into account the totality of Iranian threats, not just Iran's nuclear capabilities".

The official went on to note that, of course, the ongoing exhibition in Tehran marks the best response to America's House of Representatives, for it reflects reliance on national capabilities gained through sanction year; "despite the U.S. plan to hold Iran back through sanctions, we were able to proceed and make progress thanks to knowledge of prominent experts of the country in all private and state sectors".

"You'll see what I'm going to be doing very shortly in October", Trump told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One.

Such an "unconstructive" attitude, which is meant to "actively undermine the global agreement", would further tarnish the United States standing in the world, and would certainly be met with Iran's proportionate response, he added.

Trump was forced in July to back off from a key campaign promise to withdraw from the deal, which he has described as "the worst deal ever", after the White House certified that the Islamic republic was sticking to the nuclear agreement.

In the meantime, Iranian Ambassador to the UN Gholamali Khoshroo urged Washington "to give up using sanctions as a tool in its foreign policy and instead deal with the world", in an interview with IRNA.

This as the Treasury Department imposes new limitations against several Iranian individuals and companies, citing their support of Iran's' ballistic missile program and cyber attacks against the U.S.